Knowledge and Judgment
by Julian Amsel
Summary: After being sucked into the digital world yet again, Izzy meets someone who seems to be neither friend nor enemy.... neither human nor inhuman.... and within this person, a great friendship is formed. (note: 'tis being uploaded chapter by chapter. This is
1. In the night....

Author's notes: Well, here it is. Chapter one of the fabled Knowledge and Judment story. Now, just because I'm posting it doesn't mean it's finished. I've realized that I'm never going to finish it, so I may as well give you all what is _there_. So, here it is, unedited, unfinished... and I hope those who read the prieview blurbs will like this. I'll be adding more chapters as soon as I get the chance to type them up (they're all written out, which is probably the reason this was never finished.).  
  
"Knowledge and Judgment: Poetic Night"  
  
"So," Izzy muttered. "We get sucked back into the Digi-world, we haven't a clue why, and now Tai's gotten us all lost. Great."  
"We're not lost," Tai snapped, his temper rising. "I don't know where you got a stupid idea like that."  
"Izzy's right, Tai. We do seem to be a bit lost. I don't think I've ever seen this place before. Maybe we got off course...," Biyomon commented as she glanced around.  
"Awe, suddap...," Tai muttered.  
Izzy sighed and tried to recollect his thoughts. Only two digi-days ago, they had gotten sucked into the Digi-world for what seemed like the fourth time. He wasn't really sure _how_ many times they had visited this strange land. In truth, he had lost count. And now they were lost, though it really wasn't for the first time.  
"Hey, look on the bright side!" said Mimi, smiling.  
"When you tell me what the bright side is, maybe I'll look for it," Joe muttered.  
"Oh, come on, don't be like that!" Gomamon said nervously. He quickly glanced a Biyomon, who needed in agreement at his silent words. Everyone's getting pretty edgy, he thought. And there's something in the air... it doesn't smell right.  
High above in the trees, a pair of glowing eyes watched as the friends walked along the forest path, unaware of the danger that lay ahead.  
  
"Mimi's right," TK told Patamon, who flew above him like a bit, his leathery wings beating the air. We've been in worse fixes, and at least this time we're together and we have a path to follow, though nobody knows where it leads to."  
"Yeah, you're right. But have ya noticed something? Everyone is so tense. I mean, for Tai and Matt it's sort of normal, but even Palmon and Biyomon are jumpy," Patamon said, slight worry in his high voice. "Didja notice, TK?"  
"Yeah, but.... I thought it was just 'cause they didn't want to be back here again."  
"I dunno, TK...." suddenly, he stopped and looked up, glancing around with an odd look in his eye.  
"What's wrong, Patamon?" TK said warily, azure eyes glancing around to try and catch a glimpse of the potential enemy that his friend had sensed.  
Patamon blinked, and shook his head furiously. "I don't know. I just got this weird feeling that we're being watched."  
TK's eyes opened wide. "Watched? By who?"  
"I dunno," replied Patamon. "I just don't know."  
  
The sky grew dark, and a light drizzle began to fall from the sky, raining heavier and heavier until the Digi-destined were soaked to the bone. Slowly the moon rose, casting a pale light through the thick clouds.  
Tai turned to look back at the others. "'kay, guys! Keep going! Just another mile or so, and we'll set up camp. I promise!"  
Sora walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Look, Tai," she whispered, leaning in close. "It's dark, it's pouring, everyone's tired, especialy TK and Patamon. We've been walking all day, and we don't even know where we're going. Don't you think it's time we stopped for the night?"  
Reluctantly, Tai nodded in agreement. "Yeah... I guess you're right. It's just..."  
"Yeah?"  
He shook his head. "Nothing. Don't worry about it."  
"Okay, then, if you really think there's nothing to worry about..." Sora replied, searching for a hint that would tell her what was bothering her friend.  
"Right. Come on, don't be so concerned about me all the time." Before Sora could reply, Tai turned to the others and called out "Okay, everybody, I guess it's time to set up for the night. The sooner we get it done, the sooner we can crash. There should be enough room..."  
  
"I can't believe you brought those collapsible tents along," Mimi said with a giggle. They were gathered around the campfire, relieved that the rain had stopped. They had been able to set up camp easily, thanks to Joe.  
"Well...," replied Joe, adjusting his glasses. "Ever since we got back from the Digi world, I've taken to being much more prepared than I was before.... I _knew_ we would get stuck here again. I _knew_ it. So..."  
"I for one think it's a prodigious idea," Izzy remarked as he types away on his laptop computer. "We'll be able to sleep inside, and for once I won't have to worry about the dew doing any dammage to my computer."  
"Argh... what IS it with you and that stupid machine?!"  
Izzy glared at Mimi, clenching his teeth to avoid saying something he'd regret. "It's not a stupid machine," he mumbled.  
"Hah!" snapped Mimi, crossing her arms. "I bet you wouldn't even last two seconds without that computer!"  
"Says you!"  
"Yeah. Says me." In a flash of pink Mimi jumped up and snatched the computer, holding it high above her head. "Come and get it, nerd!"  
"Hey, give it back!" Izzy cried, struggling to reach it. "I swear, if you break that thing, I'll kill you!"  
Tentomon couldn't imagine Izzy hurting a fly, let alone someone like Mimi. He nudged Tai and looked up at him. "I think you had better do something before either Izzy or his computer gets hurt," he said in his high, buzzy voice.  
Tai shrugged slightly. "Hey, what can I do? Besides, she's right for once. He really does spend too much time on that thing."  
Tentomon sighed. "Looks like I'll have to do it myself." Quickly, Tentomon opened his wings, hovering in the air a moment before he dove at Mimi, snatching the computer in his claws. He handed it back to Izzy, who wore a smug expression on his face.  
"Who's laughing now, eh Mimi?" he taunted, sitting back down. "Thanks, Tentomon...," he whispered.  
Mimi just stared at him, fuming. She gave no reply, but made it quite obvious that she was agitated.  
Uh oh, thought Tai. This isn't good... everybody's tense. If I don't do something, we'll all crack... "C'mon, everybody. It's been a long day.... I think we should turn in for the night."  
"Sounds like a good idea to me," Matt said brightly.  
"It does?" Tai asked, surprised that Matt was agreeing with him for once.  
Matt nodded. "Yeah. It's late, and besides that, the sooner I get to sleep, the sooner I won't have to look at your freakish face."  
Tai sighed. "Thought too soon," he muttered.  
Grinning, Matt stood up and looked at TK. "C'mon, squirt, let's go to sleep before El Freako can come and scare us half to death." He and Gabumon headed off toward the group of tents, TK and Patamon in tow.  
  
One by one, the Digi-destined and their digimon partners left to go to bed, until the only ones remaining awake were Joe and Izzy.  
"Well," said Joe, gathering up his backpack. "Looks like we're going to be sharing a tent again.."  
"Mm-hmm," Izzy mumbled, his eyes not leaving the computer screen.  
Slowly, Joe walked toward the tents, slightly reluctant to leave Izzy outside in the dark. "Aren't you comming?" he asked softly a concerned look on his face.  
"Huh? Oh, no, not yet. I've just got a bit more to do, and there's no sense in leaving it 'till morning," Izzy said, stiffling a yawn.  
"Are you sure you'll be okay?" From inside the tent, Joe could heart Gomamon and Tentomon snoring loudly, making enough noise to wake up the whole Digi world.  
"Yeah," said Izzy, smiling wanly. "Don't worry about it, I won't be long. Go.. you look like you need the sleep."  
Joe frowned, hesitant. "Well, if you're sure..."  
"I'm positive. Now, go."  
Reluctantly, Joe entered the tent, still silently worried about what could happen to his friend.  
  
"Poor Joe," Izzy said to himself, laughing lightly. "He means well, but he's such a worrywart..." Smiling slightly, he resumed his typing. After what only seemed like a few minutes, he looked up, sighing.  
"I just can't concentrate," he muttered. "Perhaps a change of scenery is in order." He recalled that they were camped just inside the treeline along the edge of a lake. Quietly, so as not to wake the others, he packed up his computer and walked through the trees, taking care to look where he put his feet. Only ten feet away, the grass on the forest receded into light sand, though trees still dug their roots deep into the fine grains. The sun had set hours ago, and now the stars shone brightly in the sky, their light in bare comparisson to the blue-shaded moon which hung above like a symbol of peace.  
Smiling slightly, Izzy walked to the tree nearest the shore. For a while he stood, watching the reflection of the light dance upon the surface of the water. Then, sighing with fatigue he sank down until he was sitting with his back against the smooth bark of the tree. He drew his legs up to his chest and rested his head on his knees, the smile never fading from his face. "It's beautiful," he whispered to himself. Suddenly, he remembered why he had come. He slipped his laptop out of his pack, but instead of resuming his work, he opened a writing file and began to type.  
  
Night time.  
Stars shine,  
Casting their light upon the world.  
They are souls,  
They are spirits,  
They are the eyes of the gods.  
Their reflections dance across  
The rippling water  
Like fireflies,  
Seeming to glitter  
For me alone.  
The moon, full and bright,  
Watches me with a kind eye.  
I can feel its gaze.  
Are you listening?  
Yes, I reply.  
Close your eyes,  
Says the wind.  
I do so.  
Sleep, says the wind.  
But I cannot hear  
For my mind is lost  
In the beauty of the night.  
  
Izzy blinked for a moment, the rush of writing leaving him. He read over the poem aloud, trying to comprehend what he had just written.  
"Huh," he muttered. "Too cliche..." Sighing, he saved the file, deciding he'd try to fix it later.  
Suddenly, a voice whispered from behind him. "Too cliche? Oh, I think not."  
Izzy heard a twig snap, and suddenly felt the sharp point of what may have been a knife being pressed firmly but gently into his back. He tensed, and bit his lip to keep from crying out in fright.  
"Be quiet, and I might not hurt you," the voice said softly. What may have been a strong hand clamped down on Izzy's mouth, and what may have been fingers dug into his skin in a way that suggested that their owner could dig in much harder if so desired. "Not one word, got it?" the voice hissed.  
Izzy could feel the knife being slowly drawn away from him. "Now," he heard. "Close your eyes and count to five hundred and fifty five... point five. You're a smart kid, you can manage it. And not one word to your little friends about this little incident, okay?"  
The hand removed itself from Izzy's mouth, and he could hear voices receeding into the distance.  
"You should have killed him," said one, sharp and raspy.  
"He's only a kid," replied the other, who had the soft yet commanding voice of his attacker. "Besides... he writes good poetry."  
  
To be continued... 


	2. Shiroi

Author's notes: Here is the second chapter of KaJ.... I did edit this one a little bit... but only a little bit, and only because it was utterly rediculous. ^_^; Pfft. Now, let's just see if I can upload it properly...  
  
Mini-disclaimer: I usually don't provide disclaimers unless an original character is inserted into a fanfiction. This is one of those cases. Kaylasii belongs to me, and only me. She makes an appearance in one of my other fics, and if you wish to play "find the homocidal baka", then feel free to do so. ^_^  
  
"Knowledge and Judgment (part 2): Shiroi"  
  
Slowly, Izzy walked back to camp, glancing around nervously before stepping into the firelight. Silently, he pondered wheather he should tell someone of what had happened.  
"No," he whispered to himself. "It's too risky."  
He entered the tent that he and Tentomon shared with Joe. As he curled up next to his digimon, he couldn't help but wonder if there was more to the attacker than it had seemed, and maybe, just maybe, the creature, whatever it was, would return tonight for a sneak-attack. Izzy closed his eyes, wondering where he had heard that voice before. It seemed so familiar...... Silently, dreams stirring in his mind, he drifted off to sleep.  
  
The sun rose, casting its warm fingers of light upon the digital world. The joyful light found its way through the flaps of Matt's tent, warming the blonde's face and causing him to smile in his sleep. After a moment he woke, eyes instinctively glancing around the tent to see if his brother, TK, was already awake.  
He's not here, Matt thought, panicking for a moment. Slowly, his mind registered the fact that Gabumon and Patamon were gone as well. "They must've gotten up early," he muttered, trying to reassure himself that nothing was wrong. Running his fingers through his hair, he stepped out of the tent, azure eyes scanning the clearing for TK.  
"Hey!" said Sora from her spot in front of the fire, smiling as she looked up at him. "Did ya have a good sleep?"  
"Yeah...," Matt replied groggily. "I slept a little too well, if you ask me." Sighing, he sat down next to her, still blinking the sleep from his eyes. "Do you know where TK went? I woke up and he, Patamon and Gabumon were gone."  
"Oh, they just went with Mimi to look for more firewood." Laughing, Sora shook her head. "I hope she doesn't get lost again..."  
"I'm more worried about TK getting lost than Mimi," Matt said softly, looking up at the sky. "HOw long have they been gone?"  
"Only about fifteen minutes," Tai replied, adjusting the band on his goggles as he stepped into the clearing. He looked at Matt and grinned. "Hey, chill out, man. If the digimon are with 'em, there's no way they'll get lost."  
"Says you, Even though I trust Gabumon and Patamon, they're only human... I mean, digimon. They can make mistakes."  
"You worry too much, Matt," Tai muttered as he sat down accross from Sora.  
"I _don't_ worry about him... I just don't want to lost the little squirt. Imagine how much trouble I'd be in if I told mom that I lost him in the Digi-world!" Matt snarled icily, glaring at his 'friend'. "I don't know about you, but I don't want to take unnecessary chances."  
"Sure, sure..."  
Exaspiration was the only expression on Sora's face. "Will you two PLEASE quit arguing?! I swear, you can't get along for ten minutes..." She stood up, shaking her head. "Hmph..."  
"Where are you going?" Matt asked, looking up at her with a slightly guilty expression on his face.  
"Just going to wake up the geeks," she replied, referring to Izzy and Joe. "If you haven't noticed already, their digimon are snoring loudly enough to wake Devimon and Myotismon from the dead. You've have to be totally deaf not to..." And she quickly disappeared.  
"Nice move, Tai," Matt muttered. "You scared her off..."  
"How can you be sure that it wasn't _you_ that freaked her out? It's more likely that she was completely entranced by my dashing good looks..."  
Matt stared at him. "Dude, _what_ good looks? You've got hair twice the size of your head!"  
"I know, isn't it great?" Tai replied, not really hearing a single word of what his friend had said.  
Matt sighed. "I give up... all hair and no brains..."  
"Hm," Tai muttered as he stared into the fire. "Hey, Matt...."  
"Yeah?"  
"Don't worry about being so protective of TK. I was just bugging you... you know that, right? I'm actually the same when it comes to Kari..."  
"Kari?" Matt asked, looking startled. Tai hadn't said a single thing about her ever since they had come to the digital world... "Is that why you didn't let her come through the portal with us?"  
"Yeah... that's why. I just... I didn't want her to get hurt. She's my little sister, after all, and I just care too much about her to risk it."  
Matt smiled, eyes sparkling as he looked at the digidestined leader with a newfound respect. "So you _do_ have real emotions, after all. I never would have guessed...."  
  
The day passed quickly, like any other. Not surprisingly, the schedule consisted of hiking, hiking, and more hiking. The sky was changing from a bright blue to a warm red and orange as the sun receded into the horizon. Soon, it would be night.  
"Okay, guys, I see a river mouth," Tai said, looking through his mini-telescope. "It's right along the coastling of a huge lake, or maybe even an inland sea...."  
Gomamon lifted his nose to the air, breathing in the rich salty scent. "That's sea water, all right," he said with a grin. "Nothing but sea, salt, and good ol' fresh air..."  
"Great!" Tai replied. "Great place to set up camp for tonight. Ain't too far away, we should be able to-"  
"STOP!" called a commanding voice, firm and cold. "Stop where you are."  
The group froze, gazing around to find the owner of the voice. Surprise and worry was thick in the air...  
"I command you to put down your weapons, including those lovely little digivices of you," the voice continued, its tone almost mocking.  
Tai was perplexed. The voice seemed to be comming rom the thick branches of the trees above...  
"And what if we don't do what you say?" Matt called out angrily.  
"In that case, you will be happy to know that I have all my power concentrated on the smallest one of your company. If you refuse to obey me, he dies," replied the voice, light and aloof.  
  
That voice... that's the same voice of whatever it was that attacked me last night, Izzy thought. His mind was racing for a solution....  
He looked up at Tai. "Do what it says," he commanded.  
Tai opened his mouth to protest, but shut it at the sight of Matt's narrowed eyes.  
Reluctantly, all the digi-destined threw down their digivices, quickly looking back at the trees, expectancy and dread written on their faces.  
"Ah, good! You've come to your senses," The voice said, mocking and sarcastic. "Now all I have to do is decide how I shall punish you all for comming into my forest."  
"What?!" Joe cried. "We didn't do anything!"  
"You invaded my territory, and that's good enough for me," replied the voice. "And let me remind you that my power is still concentrated on the small one."  
  
Izzy shut his eyes tight. I've got to think of something, he thought. I've experienced this new enemy before. The other's haven't....  
Wait, whispered a voice in the back of his mind. It might not be an enemy....  
"Wait," he said, stepping in front of Tai. Cautiously, Izzy tilted his head up to stare at the shadows of the trees. "I have a simple request before you decide on our punishment..."  
"Hm? I'm listening," the voice replied, mixed with curiosity and suspicion.  
"Show yourself. Come down from those trees... tell us who you are," Izzy called, voice shaking. It might kill us, he thought. But if I die.. at least I'll solve one more puzzle before my end.  
Like a blur, a large figure jumped down from the treetops. Blinking as he recovered from the shock, Izzy stared at his attacker in wonder. Before him stood a tall, dark looking girl. A _human_ girl. She had to be at least three years older than any member of their little group... a calm zephyr blew through her translucent white hair, making it flow with the wind. Her long green jacket billowed out like a cape, and though the wun was behind her, her glowing blue eyes could be seen, expression filled with concentration as she pulled back the string of an enormous longbow, which she had aimed directly at TK.   
"I am Kaylasii," she said coldly. "My friends call me Kay.... and none of my enemies are still living. The only good one is a dead one..." She flashed a cruel smile. "Now, tell me what you're doing here, and I might let you leave the forest alive."  
He words escaped Izzy, going through one ear and out the other. For unlike the others who stared in horror, knowing their digimon couldn't digivolve without the digivices, Izzy stared at a tag, which hung on a chair around Kaylasii's neck... and a digivice, which was attatched to the strap of her quiver.  
  
To be continued.. 


	3. Number Nine

Author's notes: Well, here's part three of KAJ. I just realized that with the way I wrote it (this is a much earlier writing than most of my stuff, mind you), I wrote it so that the characters seem to be acting younger than I usually write their personalities. Usually, I write it so that they seem very mature, perhaps thirteen or fourteen years old. But in this one, the ages are different.... so, here is an explanation:  
  
16 years: Kaylasii  
13 years: Joe  
12 years old: Matt, Tai, Sora, Mimi  
11 years: Izzy  
8 years: TK, Kari (Kari shows up at the end)  
  
I mostly wrote that to clear things up for me, but perhaps there are a few readers who were interested. Any way, on with the new chapter....  
  
Chapter three: Number Nine  
  
"You're the ninth digi-destined," he whispered, taking a step closer.  
Kaylasii slackened the bowstring slightly and looking at him, arching an eyebrow in amusement. "What did you say, little man?" she asked, trying hard not to smile.  
"Your digivice and tag. We've got ones exactly like them," Izzy explained.  
"What of it? Just because I have them doesn't mean I'm like you..."  
"Actually, it does." All fear leaving him, Izzy stepped closer, pushing the bow out of his way so he could get a better look at the girl's tag. "Fascinating," he muttered to himself. "You don't have a crest yet..."  
"Izzy, get away from her!" Tai cried out, face flushed with astonishment at the fact that the prodigy could be so stupid as to go near someone potentially dangerous.  
"Yeah, you don't know _what_ she might do," Matt added, running over to TK. "I mean, she almost shot my brother! How could you trust someone like that?"  
Izzy looked up at Kay, studying her face. She merely glared back at him, eyes cold, yet filled with something... something indistinguishable.  
"You're wrong, Matt... Tai... she's one of us, I'm sure of it. Besides, she could have killed any one of us faster than you could say 'prodigious'.... if she wanted to, that is."  
"He's right about that one," Kay muttered, leaning on her bow. "I could have, if I wanted. But you've caught my interest now, with this.. tag and crest thing. I'm not convinced, mind you, but..."  
Izzy looked her up an down, as if trying to decide something. "You don't have a digimon..."  
"I'll explain about that later," she snarled in reply, looking agitated. A brief pause managed to return her to her previous state. "Question: where are you all going?"  
"Wherever we want!" TK piped up, ignoring several whispers of protest from the other digidestined. "Though, Tai said we might as well head to the river... we don't really know where we're going." He quickly shut up at the sight of Matt, who glared at him as if to say 'Be quiet, or I'll kill you myself'.  
"The river mouth...," Kay mused. "My den is there.... it's only a couple of runs away from here, actually." She turned to Tai. "You want to go there? Fine. I'll show you the way. I want to find out more about this... digi-destined thing.... and I can only do that if I stay with you brats. Besides, you guys look tired.... you'll be able to rest easy for one night, at least.:  
Should I trust her? Tai thought nervously. Izzy seems to think she's okay, but... it might be a trick...  
"All right," he said finally. "I don't trust you, but I have a funny feeling we're safer with you than without you."  
  
The night was growing darker and colder, and yet the sen still peeked over the horizon. The digidestined had been hiking for an hour, led by Kay. Something's up, Tai thought. She said it was only a couple kilometers away..  
"Uh... Kay? When you said it's only be a couple kilometers..... exactly how many did you mean?"  
"Huh?" she asked, turning to look at him. "I said runs, not kilometers. In my world, a run is twenty kilometers. We've still got a ways to go...."  
"Oh, peachy," Matt muttered. "And how do you expect us to hike that far in the middle of the night? Some of us are worn out, you know."  
"....Sorry," Kay replied, turning back to the path ahead of them to hide the blush of embarassment upon her face. "I guess I shouldn't expect from you kids what I expect from myself." After a moment's pause, she added "There's a clearing up ahead. It'll be okay for a camp, I guess, if you guys are really that tired..."  
  
And hour later they were gathered in the clearing, roasting fruits over the camp fire. Kay had left them earlier, saying she had some 'business' to take care of.  
"I don't like this," Matt muttered to himself. "She's being too friendly now..."  
"Oh, c'mon, lighten up. It isn't all that bad. Who knows, she seems like a good person," Tai replied, adjusting his goggles.  
Matt shot him a cold look. "If you didn't notice, she almost shot my brother. I don't know about you, but I find that reason enough to not trust her."  
"Matt's right...."  
Everyone turned to look at Joe, slight expressions of surprise on thier faces. He hadn't said anything for hours, most likely because he was scared to death of the dark, and it had seemed as if he wasn't even there.   
"What was that, Joe?" Tai asked, arching an eyebrow.  
"I _said_.... I think Matt is right," Joe repeated, swallowing nervously. "I don't think we should trust this Kaylasii person. I mean, what do we know about her? Nothing, that's what. We don't even know if she's really human, do we? She might be like Gennai, not digimon but not human either. Besides, it's not as if she's been particularely friendly. She _did_ try to shoot one of us..."  
"Yeah! And then she tried to trick us into walking for hours and hours- my feet still hurt from that!"  
"Let it go, Mimi," Tai muttered, sighing. "Come on.... Izzy had a point when he said all that stuff about her being a digidestined. We're the only ones with digivices and tags, right? And you can't get into the digi-world unless you are a digidestined, right?"  
"But Tai...," Sora interrupted, glancing at him. "She doesn't have a digimon..."  
Somewhere from deep in the shadows came the distant sound of voices. One of the voices surely belongs to Kaylasii, but the other was strange, soft and raspy. As the speakers came closer, they could be heard arguing.  
"I told you, one kilometer! Can't you get it through your thick skull?" Kay's voice, cold and hard, rang through the forest like a dark spirit.  
"Hey, is it my fault you don't speak clearly? Geeze....," Another voice, sharp and raspy, counered Kay's easily. "Besides, you know me. I would have bitten first and asked questions later."  
There was a moment of silence, and then Kay stepped into the clearing, followed closely by a small dragonlike creature. "Yo, guys," she said, smiling slightly.  
"Hey, Kay," Sora replied, being the first to speak up. She glances at the dragon, then back at the teen. "Who's that?"  
"The name's Dracomon," the digimon hissed, exposing rows of razor-sharp angs. "Kay's partner in crime..."  
"Yeah, right," Kay muttered, rolling her eyes. "You're the one who causes most of the chaos around here..." She glanced down at Izzy, and grinned. "See, kid? I _do_ have a digimon."  
"Fabulous!" Izzy looked up from his laptop, eyes shining. "I _knew_ you were one of us..."  
Smiling, Kay walked over to where the prodigy sat with his back to a tree, his laptop balanced upon his knees. She slid down until she was kneeling beside him, and placed her hand on his shoulder, trying to get a better look at the computer screen. "What're you doing?" she asked, arching an eyebrow.  
"I'm trying to contact Gennai. So far I've been unsuccessful, but...."  
"Who the heck is Gennai?"  
"It's kind of hard to explain....,"Tai began, glancing over at her. "Pretty much he's just a weird old guy who tells us important stuff about what's going on in the digi-world."  
Kay arched an eyebrow. "So you think he might know something about me?"  
"Possible," Izzy mused. "What I really want to know is where your crest is...."  
"Crest?" Kay stared at him.  
"It goes inside the tag," he replied. Smiling slightly, he pulled his out from under his shirt. "See? Mine is the crest of Knowledge."  
Kaylasii fell silent, the smile fading from her face. Sighing, she leaned against the rough bark of the tree, a thoughtful look in her eyes.  
"What're you thinking about?" Izzy asked, looking at her.  
"Just wondering what my crest will be..." she murmured in reply, a slightly strange tone to her voice. "I never knew about them until now..."  
  
As the night wore on, Kay found herself growing more and more attatched to the strange boy with the computer. There seemed to be something about him, something special, something which set him apart from the others. Whenever she looked at him, she couldn't help but notice how his eyes seemed to sparkle as he told her more and more about the digidestined.  
"So you see, it is more deffinite that you are a digidestined," he said, smiling slightly. "I have absolutely no doubts about it."  
Kat shook her head. "Kid, what's your name again?"  
"Izzy," he replied.  
"Well, Izzy-man, I hate to say it, but you're wrong. I'm not... there's nothing special about me. I'm just a street dog. Nothin' more than that." There was a chuckle in her voice, and somehow she couldn't resist ruffling her friend's wild orange hair. "Sorry, bud, but for once you've got it wrong."  
Izzy smiled at her, the spark never leaving his eyes. "You might think there's nothing special about you, but I'm willing to bet that you're wrong. I mean, just look at me! I'm just your average computer nerd." He paused, seeming to reconsider his statement. "Well, okay, so maybe I'm above average when it comes to computers. But, still..."  
He was interrupted by a call from the direction of the campfire. Tai walked up, the light reflecting off his goggles. "Hey, Izzy," he said, yawning. "I need to talk to you about something before we all turn in for the night." He glanced at Kay and flashed a smile. "Mind if I borrow your nerd for a while?"  
"He's not my nerd, but you can take 'im," Kay replied, voice having a sour tone to it.  
"It's all right, Kay, he was just goofing," Izzy explained, shutting off his laptop. He stood and glanced down at her, rather appologetically. "I'll be back later," he murmured, walking away.  
  
To be continued.. 


	4. Hatred's Melody

kaj4 Author's notes: Here's chapter four. This one is spell-checked (I actually had time to do that this time, yay! ^_^), but not much editing other than a few minuscule errors. I kind of like this chapter... I'm not sure why, though. ^_^ 

Chapter Four: Hatred's Melody 

Kay sighed. Just when she was getting friendly with the kid.... ah well. Maybe it's for the better, she thought. The more I talk to him, the more it confuses me. What's so special about him? Something was drawing me to him... but what?   
She heard some voices to her left and cast a glance, wondering who they could belong to. Dracomon lay stretched out near the fire, talking to what looked like a giant bug and a hamster with wings. Trust Draco to go making friends with everybody, she thought. She recognized the beetle digimon... it was Izzy's, she guessed. Kay remembered seeing Izzy talk to him last night, before her little attack... The hamster, however, was a mystery. Who could such a sickeningly cute digimon belong to?   
A strange, sweet melody interrupted her thoughts. Kay glanced around, startled at the sudden music. In the shadows of a pine tree, set apart from the others, was one of the older Digi-destined. He was playing a harmonics, and something about him seemed to hit her. She remembered the attack from what seemed to be hours ago. "How could you trust someone like that?" he had said. Kay smiled. Smart kid....   
Music had always fascinated her.. and the tune, soft and sad as it was, begged her to join it. Removing a rough wooden flute from her quiver, she put it to her lips and began to play, not so much intruding on the tune as adding to it. 

"Hey..."   
Kay looked up, hitting a sour note in her surprise. Beside her stood _him_...... the kid she had almost shot. From the corner of her eye she saw that he harmonica player she had been accompanying had lowered his instrument and was staring at her, a strange look in his eyes.   
"Hey," she replied weakly, lowering her flute. "Who're you?"   
The child grinned and sat down next to her, bright blue eyes shining. "My name is TK.. an' I know who you are. You're the ninth Digi-destined."   
Kay blinked. Either the kid didn't care about the little incident, or he didn't realize she would have killed him if Izzy hadn't distracted her. "So, I'm the ninth Digi-destined, eh? Who told you that?"   
"I heard you and Izzy talking. You should listen to him, 'cause he's really smart.."   
Kay arched an eyebrow. "Really, now..."   
"Yep!" TK replied, smiling brightly. "He's the smartest one here, 'cept for my brother."   
"Your brother?" Kay grinned. He's a cute little shrimp, she thought. Weird, but cute....   
"Uh huh, my brother. He's really cool, 'epecially when he plays his harmonica. You're good, too, but not as good as him."   
"Who is this brother of yours, any way?" Kay asked, unable to resist. Great, she thought. I'm getting attached to _this_ one way too quickly. Oh well....   
"Him!" TK replied, pointing over at the harmonica player. "That's Matt. He's the coolest!"   
So, Kay thought. They're brothers. Surprise, surprise. Of course they'd have to be related somehow... A glance at the blonde-haired musician aroused suspicion. He's blushing, a voice in the back of her head nagged. Why?   
"So... I guess you're really lucky to have a brother like him."   
"Yeah..." TK looked up at Kay, suddenly serious. "I know he doesn't like you, but don't worry.. I like you. I don't mind that you got mad at all of us...."   
Kay's grin grew wider, and without a second thought she hugged the child, wondering if her encounter with Izzy had quickly softened her heart. "Thanks, kid," she said, laughing. "You're the greatest..." 

"TK! Get away from her."   
Kay looked up, releasing her hold on TK. Her eyes darted around until they landed on Matt, the speaker, who narrowed his gaze, expression becoming a fixed glare.   
"Leave her alone, TK. She can't be trusted."   
"But Matt... Tai and Izzy say she's okay..."   
"They're wrong. Don't forget, she almost killed you."   
Kay dropped her eyes, feeling a rage build up inside her. I should tell him off, she thought. But somehow, she couldn't speak.... 

Matt's frustration was building by the second.... But there was more on his mind than simple exasperation. There's something about her, he thought. She's dangerous, I just know it.   
"Come on, TK. Get over here." Something in the sound of his voice startled him. Gods, he thought. I'm starting to sound like my father.   
"But Matt-"   
"Now, Takeru."   
TK cringed at the use of his real name. Sighing, he looked up at Kay and smiled apologetically. "Sorry," he said. "I gotta go. Matt only calls me that when he's _real_ mad." He stood slowly, and started walking toward his brother, who motioned for him to sit down next to him.   
Kay remained in her place, watching them through half-closed eyes. Slowly, her anger faded, leaving only slight frustration. In the quiet of the night, the only other sounds coming from the campfire a fair distance away, she could hear the voices of the brothers clearly.   
"Sorry, TK... It's just, well.... you know I worry about you. You shouldn't mess with Kaylasii... she's trouble."   
"But Matt," TK protested, looking up at him. "Tai and Izzy trust her. Isn't that good enough for you? Besides, I can take care of myself."   
"Sure you can, squirt. But hey, even Izzy is wrong sometimes...." 

"Kay..."   
Startled, she looked up, eyes automatically glaring. "What?"   
"Uh...." Izzy looked away, eyes wandering to Matt's direction. "Tai says he wants everyone back at the fire. He needs to have a word with all of us."   
"Fine then...." Matt glanced at TK, who had fallen asleep at his side. "Hey, squirt, wake up..."   
"Hmm? Wha'? Is it morning already?" TK mumbled sleepily, looking up at him with heavy eyes. "I feel like I've only been asleep for ten minutes..."   
"That's because you _were_ only asleep for ten minutes," Matt replied, grinning. "Now come on, Tai needs to talk to us. After that, you can sleep as long as you want, I promise."   
As he stood and helped his brother up, Matt couldn't help but cast a cold look in Kay's direction. He felt an intense hatred for her, though he had not known her for very long. I'll have to be careful, he thought, walking toward the campfire.   
As he passed Kaylasii, he muttered in a voice loud enough for only her to head, "Stay away from TK." 

To be continued....... 


	5. Hidden Evil

kaj5 Author's notes: Here's... I can't remember which chapter it is. Five, I think. Don't worry, things will get more exciting soon. As soon as I type up the rest, that is. *sweatdrops* Hn. 

Chapter Five: Hidden Evil   


Kay could hardly avoid smiling. What does he think I am? A murderer? Her attention was quickly drawn to Izzy, who stood beside her, his computer tucked under his arm and an unreadable expression on his face. "Well?" he asked, looking at her expectantly.   
"Well what?"   
"Aren't you coming?"   
Kay rolled her eyes. "To listen to that weirdo yammer? Nah."   
"But it might be important..."   
"Fine." Sighing, Kay stood, brushing the pine needles from her pants. She looked down at Izzy and grinned. "If you want me to that badly, I'll go listen to Tai babble."   
"Thanks..."   
"But remember..." Kay winked at him and slung an arm across his shoulder. "I'm only listenin' to you 'cause I like ya." Slowly, they began walking toward the camp, where the fire's light could be seen burning brightly through the trees. 

This is weird, Kay thought. I hardly ever like people, much less tell them.   
"Kay?"   
"Huh?" She blinked, and looked down at Izzy. "What?"   
"Do you space out like that often?" he asked, smirking. "I've been trying to get your attention for the past five minutes."   
"Nah.. I was just thinking," she mumbled in reply, blushing slightly. Smooth, the voice in the back of her mind growled. Make yourself look like an idiot in front of the kid. Go ahead... I dare ya. 

"Whatever you're going to tell us, Tai, make it quick, okay? We're all exhausted."   
"I _know_ that," Tai muttered, glaring at Matt. "Actually, that's what I want to talk to you all about."   
"What do you mean?" Mimi asked, frowning.   
Tai shrugged, and produced a handful of sticks from behind his back. "Well... there's eight of us now, and only three tents. I figured it'd be fairer if we all drew straws to see who sleeps in and who sleeps outside." From the corner of his eye, Tai could see Kay and Izzy standing outside the ring of light. It was as if they had arrived just two seconds ago.   
"Forget it, Tai," Kay said, stepping closer. Her voice was tinged with disgust, and she smirked slightly. "Really, you shouldn't change your plans just 'cause of me. Besides.... I can't sleep in an enclosed space. It just doesn't work for me, you know?"   
"I... see." Great, Tai thought. _Now_ how am I going to keep my eye on her? "Well, then.... I still think that since we're an even number of people, two of us should stay out..."   
"I'll do it, Tai," Izzy said, stepping forward.   
"I- what?" Blinking, Tai looked at Izzy, surprised that he would volunteer for something like that. "Are you sure?"   
Izzy nodded, stepping closer. "Yeah, I'm sure. It's not a problem..."   
This is weird, Tai thought. Usually he's the first one to agree to stay inside. Oh well... at least this way I get to sleep easy, and there's _someone_ to watch her every move... "Fine then, I suppose....."   
"So do we got to sleep now, oh fearless leader?"   
"Yeah, I guess so," Tai replied, trying to ignore the sarcasm in Matt's comment. "But if I ever hear you calling me 'fearless leader' again, you'll be on night watch for a week."   
"Yeah, whatever," Matt muttered. He sighed and shook his head, rolling his eyes at Tai's attempted threat. "I hope you're not sharing a tent with me and TK again... your snores kept me up late last night."   
"Don't worry," Tai said dryly. "I wouldn't dream of keeping you from your beauty sleep." 

Izzy watched as everyone entered their tents, ready to turn in for the night. Soon the only ones still outside were Kay, Tai and himself.   
"Well, then... I guess I'll go catch some Zs," Tai said, yawning. "I think you guys should do the same, seein' as it's been a long day..."   
"Yeah, yeah, sure sure. You do your thing, and I'll do mine. Comprendez?" Kay replied, glaring at him.   
"Uh... yeah, I get it," Tai swallowed, nodding. Something about Kay still struck him as odd... Oh well, he thought. I'll figure it out eventually. He turned to enter his tent, but he felt someone grab hold of his arm. He looked down to see Izzy.   
"Wait a sec, Tai," Izzy whispered, casting a sideways glance in the direction of Kay, who was ignoring them for the most part. "I need to tell you why I decided to stay out tonight."   
Tai nodded thoughtful. "Yeah, I was wondering about that. Well, c'mon, shoot. What's the deal?"   
"Well....," Izzy began, face reddening slightly. "I know you wanted to stay out, just so you could make sure she doesn't try anything. But the thing is... she trusts me, I'm sure of it. And as weird as it sounds, I trust her, even though I've only known her for half a day. There's just something about her... it's like we're already good friends." He pauses, swallowing hard. "That's why. Besides.... I think she'd be less likely to try something when someone she trusts is around."   
The explanation seemed to make sense. It hadn't passed Tai that Kay had been more friendly to Izzy than she was to any of the others. "All right, I get your point," Tai said, nodding. "But be careful, okay? I wouldn't completely trust her just yet." 

So, Kay thought. The kid trusts me. Strange... I thought he was smart. Then again, sometimes the ones with the brains lack common sense...   
She heard someone walking towards her, but didn't bother looking up. She knew it was him. After all, it's not like it would be anyone else, she thought. Something had been bothering her all night and somehow, Kay knew that the something had to do with Izzy. She had seen him somewhere before, she was sure of it, even though she wasn't quite sure where or when. And yet.... there was more to it. There had to be. Something had drawn her to him. During the nights when she and Dracomon had watched him and the other Digi-destined, Kay knew that there was something different about him. And now that she had actually spoken to him, the thought confused her even more. What was it about this kid?   
Kay's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of fingers on a keyboard. She looked up to see Izzy in front of the fire with his laptop, typing away. A smile flickered on her face, but it quickly turned into a frown when she saw him stifle a yawn. Yeesh, she thought. Doesn't the kid care that it's late?   
"Hey, Izz-man," she said, walking over to him. "Stop poking around with your comp and get some sleep. Tomorrow's going to be a hard day, so come on, get some shut-eye. Y'hear?"   
"Hmm? What?" Izzy looked up at her, arching an eyebrow. "What did you say?"   
"Were you even listening to me?" Kay asked, glaring at him.   
"Umm.. no," Izzy replied, blushing slightly with embarrassment. "I was kind of wrapped up in my work... the computer makes me zone out a bit."   
"Well, I figured that much," Kay muttered under her breath. Sighing, she sat down next to her young friend, wondering why geniuses could be so difficult to deal with. There was an awkward silence which lasted several minutes. Then, just as Izzy was about to go back to typing, Kay put her hand on his shoulder and pointed up at the sky. "Look," she said, voice low and mystical. "All the rays have disappeared. The night is dark and there's stars as far as the eye can see. Do you know what that tells me?"   
Izzy stared up at the sky, as if searching for an answer. "I don't know," he said after some thought.   
"Well, it tells me one little thing..." Kay's voice trailed off and she paused. Eyes twinkling, she looked at Izzy and grinned. "You stay up to late, kid. Now shut off that dang comp and get some sleep or I'll personally smash it into a thousand little bits."   
Izzy paled slightly, eyes opening wide. "You wouldn't," he stammered, clutching at his computer.   
Kay flashed a toothy grin. "I would," she said, voice having an evil tone to it.   
"All right, all right! Just give me a nanosecond." Quickly he saved his file and shut off the computer, stuffing it into his backpack before Kay could utter any more threats. "Happy?" he asked, glaring at her.   
"Very," Kay replied, grinning. "Though I'd be happier if you would get some sleep." She yawned and lay back, staring up at the stars. They were unusually bright.. brighter than she had ever seen them. Maybe it means something, she thought.   
"Kay?"   
"Hm?"   
"Do you like it here in the digi-world?"   
Kay closed her eyes and smiled. "Yeah," she murmured, nodding. "I do. I'd never go back... not for all the tea in China."   
Izzy fell silent for a moment, thinking. "I'm the same way," he whispered, sighing. "It's like things are so much simpler here, even though we have a big chance of getting killed every time we come here."   
"You've been in and out more than once?" Kay asked, surprised.   
"Yeah. It's kind of hard to explain, but this is the third time we've been here. The first two times the place was overrun with evil digimon... but now, it's been kind of uneventful, except for meeting you." He glanced at Kay and arched an eyebrow. "You wouldn't know anything about it, would you?"   
Kay swallowed hard. He can't know, she thought. He won't know.   
"No," she said softly. "I haven't seen anything. A ticked off seadramon, a greymon with a bad attitude, but nothing like what you're talking about." She paused, hoping to change the subject. "Don't tell me you go _looking_ for trouble, Izz-man..."   
"I don't... most of the time. But you see... we're the digidestined. If we don't resolve the problems, who will? So even if we don't want to get involved.. we have to."   
Great, Kay thought. Just great. And they're dragging _me_ into this? They wouldn't have a chance..   
"Well.... I don't know anything for certain, but I've heard that up north, past my territory there's been some trouble. Not sure what, but it sounded pretty bad..." Kay paused, nearly choking. What'm I doing?! she thought. I can't send him... I can't send them up there! It's suicide.... there's no way they'd survive it... The memories of the past digiyear were still fresh in her mind. The blood, the carnage... she couldn't let it happen, not to them.   
"Kay? Is something wrong?" Izzy asked, looking at her strangely. She's hiding something, he thought. I don't know what, but she's hiding something.   
"No. Nothing's wrong..." Kay shook her head, silently wishing she could kill herself. Stupid, stupid, stupid!   
"Are you sure? You seem like something's bothering you..."   
"Just forget it, kid. It's not important," she muttered coldly. "And for the sake of cheese will you shut up and go to sleep?"   
Izzy fell quiet. He stared at her for a moment, wondering why she was so easily angered. "All right," he whispered after a moment's pause.   
"Sorry..." Kay began, face flushing slightly. "I just-"   
"No...," Izzy murmured as he lay down. "It's all right." Sighing, he closed his eyes tightly, waiting for sleep to claim him. 


	6. The Dream and the Mission

dreamandmission Author's notes: I'd like to take the time to say that when I finish typing all these chapters up, it will probably be my last Dejimon fic. I think it's safe to say now that I have completely moved away from the Dejimon fandom, a fact which is proven by realizing that I haven't written anything in months. There is only this unfinished fic and another that I found on one of my disks- the ending of the Ankokumon triad. I hope to finish that one, but KAJ will always remain unfinished, unless during the summer I get incredibly bored, which I don't find likely to happen because I have been going deeper into the fandom of semi-obscure anime and hope to write many fics concerning that, and of course work on my original series known as Demonstar. I thank anyone who has ever enjoyed my Dejimon fics, and am quite sorry that I don't have anything spectacular to end with. On another note, there are _many_ chapters of KAJ ahead, and this is in no way the last chapter upload. 

Chapter Six: The Dream and the Mission 

The night wore on. Kay lay awake, unable to sleep. "I'm such an idiot," she muttered to herself. "I can't keep my mouth shut nowadays. What happened to Kaylasii, ruler of the alleys? What happened to the devil-angel? Have I changed so much that I don't know how to be the person I once was?" Sighing, she stared into the fire, watching as the flames burned lower and lower. "I have to do something. Even if it takes everything I have... I won't let them face Him." Rolling onto her side, she watched her young friend. He seemed to be sleeping peacefully enough, and the sight brought a smile to Kaylasii's cold lips. "I won't ever let anything happen to you," she murmured, reaching out to touch his face. "You're like the Little One.... the one I hold in my heart. Sleep well, Izz-man.... you have a guardian angel watching over you." Slowly Kay pulled her hand away and rested her head on her arms. Gradually her eyes closed and soon she drifted off to sleep. 

A dark alleyway. The sound of a child crying... the mocking voices of two teens taunting him. Darkness. Blood. A knife, ripping through flesh. Silence. Wide eyes, sweet, young, and filled with tears. "Are you an angel?" 

Kay's eyes snapped open. It was the dream... the dream, which always came back to her. The dream... which hadn't been a dream. Somehow, though she had the dream so often, parts of it were a mystery to her. She remembered the event from three years ago.. She remembered the child. She remembered him thinking she was a "guardian angel". But try as she might, she could never remember the child's name. It was like a constant question, a puzzle with a missing piece. But why'm I having this dream again? Kay thought to herself. It's been keeping away for the past few months... and it was different this time. "The eyes," she whispered. "Before, it didn't have the eyes."   
Slowly, Kay sat up and brushed back a strand of translucent hair. A bead of sweat trickled down her forehead, and she wiped it away, blinking as she realized that the sun was beginning to rise. A soft golden glow had spread to illuminate the world, bathing in its gentle light. From where he lay at Kay's side, Izzy mumbled in his sleep. Then, all was silent. 

Something by the fireside glittered, catching Kay's eye. After observing it from a distance, she realized it was Dracomon's chatoyant dragonfly wings, catching the light of the morning sun. Barely visible, the dragon lay beside Izzy's digimon, tail curled around the large insect. Slowly, Kay made her way over to the digimon pair and gently prodded Dracomon's stomach. When the dragon didn't respond, Kay glared at her and began running her fingers along Dracomon's thin head spines. "I know you're awake," the teen murmured, a mocking tone to her voice. "You can't fool me..."   
The dragon's eyes snapped open and she glared up at her human partner. "Fine," she hisses as she uncoiled herself, bright green scaled flashing in the light. "But I'd kinda like to know why ya always wake me up just when I'm gettin' comfy..."   
"Force of habit," Kay replied, grinning. "So what were you up to last night? I didn't see ya around after you wandered off with Buggy-Boy..."   
"His _name_ is Tentomon," Dracomon growled, eyes flashing aggressively. She jumped up into Kay's lap and placed her paws on her friend's shoulders, digging her claws in through Kay's thin jacket. "Got it?"   
Kay smirked. "Sounds like you like 'im..."   
"He's just a friend," Dracomon muttered. "And not even that. He was just tellin' me about their mission and all that, that's all. Besides, you should talk. I've seen you talkin' to that Ishi or whatever his name is..."   
"Izzy?!" Kay burst out laughing. "No way! Sure, I'm kind of attached to the little guy, but that's 'cause he's like a little brother to me. Besides... I'm a little old for him, ya know?"   
Dracomon's tail twitched, and the corners of her mouth turned up in a smile. "Fine, then," she said, grinning. "You forget any notions you have about me and Tentomon, and I won't say anything about you and Ishi."   
"His _name_ is Izzy," Kay growled. "But it sounds find to me. I don't blab, you don't blab. Deal?" She held out her gloved hand and arched an eyebrow.   
"Deal!" Dracomon replied, claws grasping her friend's hand firmly. 

"So, did the nerd tell you anything about what he and the rest of 'em are up to? I'm sorry to say, I don't think my weasling abilities are up to snuff. I couldn't get much info out of Tentomon.."   
Kay swallowed, and smiled sheepishly. "Well, I didn't get much out of Izz-man, either... but that's 'cause I wasn't really trying to find anything out. But... I know that this is their third time coming here... and that they know about... Him."   
Dracomon's eyes widened and she dug her claws into Kay's arm. "How did he know? You didn't tell him did you?"   
Kay cringed and tried in vain to pry away the dragon's claws. "No! Of course not! But I think he guessed that there's something evil up in my territory. He said something similar happened to him before... and he's a smart kid, so he was bound to figure something out."   
Dracomon frowned. "You got a point. According to Tento, he's a regular smarty pants. And that ain't good as far as we're concerned..."   
"Yeah... but what do we do about it?"   
"Well..." the dragon paused for a moment, thinking. A sly smile spread across her face and her eyes developed a bizarre glint. "Simple. We kill him."   
"What?!" Kay gasped, staring at her friend as if she were insane.   
"Gods, I'm just kidding! Can't you take a joke?"   
Kay's eyes narrowed and she flicked the dragon between the eyes. "Not when it concerns killing my little buddy. Got it?"   
"Yeah, whatever..." Dracomon muttered, looking away. "Anyway, what we gotta do is simple. Y'see, there's nothing we _can_ do. Not yet, anyway. All we can do is keep quiet... and at the right moment, we split. Standard procedure."   
"You sure?" Kay asked, hesitant.   
Dracomon nodded. "You got it. It's the only way... the only one that isn't a suicide mission, that is."   
Kay sighed and glanced over at Izzy, who was still sleeping peacefully. Somehow, she still doubted the dragon's plan would be as efficient as she implied. "All right," she said after a moment. "We'll go for it. Not that it sounds right, but... I just can't think of any other way. And I'd rather leave them than know that they got killed just 'cause I'm too stupid to keep my mouth shut." 

To be continued... 


End file.
